Big Hits From CinemaCon 2014

CinemaCon, the official convention of the National Association of Theatre Owners, is the convention for the motion picture theater industry. This annual gathering combines the most influential cinema owners and operators from around the globe. CinemaCon, which dates back to 2011 and is currently the largest industry trade show, features studio presentations, screenings and relevant seminars.

CinemaCon gives moviemakers the opportunity to screen their movies, essentially tantalizing movie theater owners and operators into wanting to screen the films. This year's screenings featured several big hits from a variety of categories.

Future Blockbusters

Certain movies are just destined to become summer blockbusters. This year, viewers should already be waiting for "Transformers: Age of Extinction." CinemaCon attendees were treated to approximately 15 minutes of the film, which looks to become one of the biggest hits of the summer.

20th Century Fox showed new footage from the latest in the "X-Men" series, "X-Men: Days of Future Past," which is slated to come out May 23. The studio's "Dawn of the Planet of the Apes" also looks to make a big splash after its July 11 release.

Attendees were also lucky enough to see 30 minutes of Sony's "The Amazing Spiderman," focusing largely on the action sequences. The film, which debuts on May 2, is already highly publicized.

Action Movies

Some action flicks have not been as well publicized. However, they were well-received at CinemaCon.

20th Century Fox's "The Secret Service" is based on a comic book by Mark Millar. This spy film stars Colin Firth as the main character, a James Bond-style spy named Uncle Jack. The film debuts October 24.

Scarlett Johansson has a new movie coming out from Universal Studios called "Lucy." In this film, her character serves as a drug mule for the Asian mob. The twist in this futuristic action flick is that when the drug leaks into her body, it gives her superhero powers. "Lucy" comes out on August 8.

Sony showed footage of "Fury," which stars Brad Pitt. The action-drama is set during the last months of World War II and features Pitt as a tank commander. "Fury" comes out in the fall.

Adult Comedies

Movies like "Ted" and "The Hangover" have made R-rated comedies big hits again. While Seth McFarlane will be putting out a sequel to his hit "Ted," it probably won't come out until next year. However, Universal Studios showed footage of McFarlane's "A Million Ways to Die in the West," which debuts May 30. The comedy pits a cowardly farmer against a notorious gunslinger in wooing a lady, the gunman's wife.

Universal also screened "Neighbors" in its entirety. Starring Seth Rogen and Zac Efron, the film centers on the difficulties that arise when a couple with a newborn move in next to a frat house. The movie debuts May 9.

Melissa McCarthy, renowned for the movie "Bridesmaids" and her sitcom "Mike & Molly," stars in a summer comedy called "Tammy." This escapist fantasy centers on Tammy, a blue collar hero, who takes off with her grandmother, of all people. The film comes out July 2.

Finally, there's the old classic of making a sex tape and seeing it get released to the public. Cameron Diaz and Jason Segel are the latest perpetrators of this snafu in the film "Sex Tape." The hilarity here comes from the chemistry between Diaz and Segel, who co-starred in "Bad Teacher." Their latest film comes out July 25.

Horror Movies

Rather than wait for fall and Halloween, two top-notch horror movies are slated for summer release.

Screen Gems, a division of Sony Studios, is releasing "Deliver Us From Evil" on July 2. Eric Bana, renowned as the romantic hero in "The Time Traveler's Wife," takes on a grittier role as a New York police officer investigating inexplicable crimes, and it turns out that demons possessing citizens are the perpetrators. The film is based on the book of the same name, which is based on real-life crimes.

Last summer, Universal Studios' "The Purge" made a big splash, so Universal is releasing the sequel this summer. The original film sets up a futuristic society in which crime becomes legal for 12 hours every year, under certain circumstances. "The Purge: Anarchy" takes the premise of the original film a step farther, putting a young couple with a broken-down car in the middle of the chaos.

Similar to other trade shows, such as the video game industry's E3, CinemaCon is for anyone who works for the motion picture industry in any capacity. This year's conference previewed some exciting upcoming releases. Considering the films that the attendees get to see previewed, CinemaCon serves as an industry perk.